Lumber piler



1,558,983 F. w. HORSTKOTTE LUMBER PILER xFiled Nov- 18. 1924 nsheets--smet 1 Oct. `Z7,A 1925- F. w. HORSTKOTTE Oct. 27, 1925 LUMBER PILER FiledNov. 18, 1924. 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 27, 1925- F. W. H ORSTKOTTE LUMBER PILER 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Filed Nov. 18, 1924 l wanton eder/c/r W Hnrst/ratte @Wemag Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

rnnnnnicx w. Hons'riiofrrnor sronnnn, WASHINGTON.

nonnen rf-114mm.

vApplication filed. .November .stacking boards or planks upon a car or carlrier, as a kiln truck. In the performance of vthis operation, it is necessary in the inl'6 terests 4of eiliciency and-convenience that a .flue be created Iin the stack of lumber yas it is ybeing erected, for the purpose Yof insuring a Wide and uniform -d'istribntion 'oit' the aircnrr-ents used for drying the linn- 29 ber in the stack when the latter is placed in the drying kiln. In carrying out .nay inyention I utilize a stack frame which is vertically .movable Vwith relation to the Akiln truck upon which the stack is beingferected -by manual poner. A.The stackingrame is provided with stack-ing guides which .are automatically adjusted by ythe vertical nieve- ,nient vof the stacking france, whereby the AWorkmen are guided in the erection voft the Vstack 'for the purpose of creating 'adine Within the .stack having a LWide base and its sidewalls on converging lines toward the `top of :the stack. `Spacing sticks are also need in the erection of the stackto separate l5 successive layers of boards or vpllanksas .the stack rises and stick-guides are provided on the stacking irai-ne for gnidingthe Workifnen in these tiers of sticks toforrn compact and ivorknianflike pile or ,stack t0 "et Jlnniber. ,i ilhe invention consists in certain novel features --of y'construction and. combinations fand .arrangements of rvparts fori carrying Aont the pu-rposesoif my invention as will here- 4l inaiitsrfbe more fully-setlforth and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings 1 .hay-eillustrated one conipletefexainple ofithepliysical .embodiment of my vinvention v"Whe-rein theparts are combined Aandarrangedfinac- -cordan'ce Wiith the best inode ,Il liave thus fardevised 'for the practica-l application of the principles of any invention. Figure l .is an endview of a lumber fstacking machine y.embody-ing Iany invention, `one '55 of the hydraulic jacks used for Aelevating currents .up through-:the stack and Athrough'the lat- 1e, 1ae4. `.semina 1750,691. l

'the stacking frame ,being shownin section for ycmivenience of illustration.4 Y

`Figure 2 is a perspective view'of vone of the stackingguides. Y

kFigure -3 is ya side View ofthe stacking m1achine.

Figure 4l is a top plan view of the inalchine.

In onder that `the general :arra peinent and relation of parts may readily e understood, l have shown in Figures l and .i3 a kilntruck 1 of usual type having Wheels .2 and `adapted :toroll on tracks 3 fon its Way .to the kiln. A stack of lumber ris indicated in Fi-gnres l and?) ren #the kiln truck, which sta-ck is erected 'thereon in layers of boards or l:planks t `with spacing `sticks betweenthe layers. ,The planks la-re laid longitudinally of the truck and the sticks are laid transversely 'of the planks and the latter civ tend Yfroin -side to :side of :theftruck asSliOWn. The planks ,and'sticks are laid by the workinfen, vthe planksbeing arranged in two sec- .tions and .the sticks, .as seen in Figure 3 being spaced atregnlar intervals between lay-ers of .the planks or boards to forni spaces therebetween l A tine 6, which 'extends {longitudinally-0i the kiln truck Yand indicated .by dotted lines in Figure l, is created by ythe Workmen in V the erection .of fthe stack, and the vWalls ol' this flue as .seen -invFigulre l converge from fa Wide base `at the bottom toward. the 'top keith-.e stack. Ater .the stack is completed the 'Stop opening .off 'the stack is .closed for .L

covered by a single vEpl-ank .or board, and when .the .trnck and .stack lia-ye been conveyed to the kiln ,and placed V.tlne 1ei11 the for ,drying Vthe :material pass Veral Aspaces .in xthe vstack thus insuring -a 'nndeand uniform distribution of fthe drying .agent Ithroughout the stack.

. The :stack is erected by Itwo 4'men who .stand upon Atwo platfomns 7 and rS .that are suspended by jhangers `9 from `the .opposite ends of the ystacking .lraine. I Ifhis stacking .fraine rwhich is V rectangular v.in shape .and horizontally idisposed .comprises `a parrot `end bars ortbealns l() and llanda pair of Side bars .or vbeams l2 and lfall rigidly .joinedr-1together 'to insure a rigidistrnctnre.

The stacking frame and :its .platiorms are movable vertically for elevating 'the Work- ;in'en ,on the platformsrasthey erectthe stack? and the stacking frame is elevated gradually as the stack rises. For this purpose I utilize four telescopic, hydraulic jacksas 14 one of which is located at each corner of the frame and supported on a suitable base. The upper section or piston rod 15 of each jack is provided with a head 16 which is attached by a plate 17 (dotted lines in Figure 4) to the stacking frame, and it will be apparent that as the motive Huid is admitted under pressure through pipe 18 at the lower endof each hydraulic jack, the gradual exten sion of the jacks will elevate the stacking frame the platforms, and the men standing thereon, one at each end of the frame. By withdrawing pressure from the hydraulic jacks they are permitted to telescope and lower the stacking frame from uppermost position in Figures 1 and 3 to the lowermost position with the frame just above the top of the empty kiln truck.

The planks or boards are first deposited by suitable means on skids 19 which are spaced at proper intervals along the length of the stacking frame and supported therefrom by arms 2O attached or connected at 21 to the frame. These skid members 19 which are carried by the stacking frame are made of angle-irons and each member co-acts with a complementary overlapping skid member 19 which is hinged at 20 to a support21L as seen in Figure 1. The pivoted skid members carried by the stacking frame and the hinged skid members supported from the support 21a thus maintain a proper alineinent as the stacking frame is moved vertically. The two men standing on the spaced platforms take the lumber from the skids and place it upon the kiln truck as previously described to form the stack.

For facility and accuracy in the formation of the flue in the stack I provide stacking guides carried by the stacking frame, one at each end of the frame to be used as guide devices by the respective workmen -in placing the planks or boards.

Each of these stacking guides comprises a pair of opposed metal plates 22 and 23 (see Figure 2) and fashioned with threaded blocks or travelling nuts 24 and 25 respectively. The nuts are carried on a screw bar 26 26 having reverse threads or threaded portions 27 and 28, and the scew bars are journalednto revolve in bearings 29 on the outer faces of the end bars or beams of the frame along which beam they extend in parallelism therewith. On the end of each of the screw bars a bevel gear as 30, 31 is carried and these gears mesh with complemen tary gears 32, 33 on the longitudinally ex tending intermediate shaft 34 `disposed at right angles to the screw bars and supported in journal bearings 35 atthe outer side of the side beam 12,

One of the screw bars as 26 is provided with a cable drum 36 over which the cable 37 is wound, and a` weight 38 is carried at the free end of the cable. the cable is anchored at 39 at the base of one of the hydraulic jacks, and a pit 40 in Figure 1 is provided for the weight when it is at its lowermost point. The cable is arranged with relation to the drum in such manner that when the stacking frame is elevated, carrying with it the screw bar 26 and its drum, the cable is caused to wind and unwind on the drum and by frictional contact therewith revolve the drum and screw bar. The revolving screw bar with its right and left hand screw threads is thus caused to gradually close the guide plates 22 and 23 as the stacking frame rises. The same action is imparted to the screw bar 26 vand its stacking guide plates, through the connection of the gears and intermediate shaft 34. When the stacking frame is lowered, the cable, is operated to actuate the screw bars and open the guide plates to their maximum distance apart as the stacking frame reaches its lowermost position. In this manner the guide plates are automatically brought together as the stacking frame reaches its highest altitude and automatically spread apart as the stacking fra-me reaches its lowest altitude.

Guiding devices are also provided on the stacking frame for use by the workmen in laying the sticks 5. comprise channel plates 41 carried in upright position at the inner sides of the side beams 12 and 13 of the stacking fra-Ine and arranged in opposed pairs on the two beams at spaced intervals. The channel plates are each provided with a pair of spaced, headed bolts 42 for co-action with pairs of keyhole slots 43 provided therefor in the side beams 12 and 13 (see Figure 3) and it will be apparent that the channel plates are interchangeable and adjustable with relation to the side plates or beams of the stackingV frame.

For selective use with either of the platforms 7 or 8 Iprovide an auxiliary platform 44 upon which a workman may stand and co-operate with a workman on one of the other two platforms when handling short lengths of planks or boards. This platform 44 is suspended by hangers 45 from a cross beam 46 which has end plates 47 upon which rollers 48 are journaled.

This structure as thus described forms a carriage intermediate the two end platforms and adapted to be moved with the rollers traveling on the top faces of the side beams of the stacking frame as tracks. riage is also provided with stacking. guides as 22 23 and a screw bar 49 having right and left hand screw threads and the stacking guides or yplates 22 23 may co-act with either of the guides on the end beams of the The other end ofV These guiding devices` The carstackino' Jframe for use b the Workmen. 1 Ihe screw oar L19 which is Journaled 1n bearings in the beain'fl is provided with an end bevel gear() thatmeshes with a complementary gear 5l keyed in the keyway 52 of the intermediate shaft 34. Thus the screw bar 4:9 is revolved synchronously with theother two screw bars 26 and 26 to actuate its stacking guides as hereto-fore described.

The screw bar 49 projects through a longitudinal slot 53 in the side beam 12 and the carrier orcarriage is thus permitted to be moved laterally to adjusted position between the end platforms.

From the above description taken in connection with my drawings the construction and operation of the machine will be evident, and it will be apparent that I have provided a machine which enables the workmen to erect the stack as described'with facility, convenience, and dispatch, and that such stack will be formed in the manner set :torth for accomplishing the desired purposes.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The combination with a vertically movable stacking' trame, and operating means therefor, of stacking guides carried by said frame and a revolvable actuating member for said guides, a cable-drum on said actuating member, a cable on said drum having a` counterweight and an anchor for said cable.

2. The combination with a vertically movable stacking frame and operating means therefor, of a right. and left hand screw bar at each end of vsaid frame, a pair of guide plates on each screw bar, an intermediate shaft and bevel gears connecting said screw bars, a cable-drum on one of said screw bars, and a counterweighted cable on said drum having an anchored end.

3. The combination With a vertically movable stacking frame and operating means therefor, of a right and left hand screw bar at each end of said frame, a pair of guide plates `on each screw bar, an inter'- mediate shaft and bevel gears connecting said screw bars, a cable-drum on one of said bars and a counterweighted cable on said drum having an anchored end, platforms at the ends of said frame, an intermediate carriagebetween said platforms, a screw bar and a pair of guide plates on said carriage, a gear on the last screw bar, and a slidable gear on lthe intermediate shaft engaging said last gear. n

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

F. W. HORSTKOTTE. 

